To assist you in making your own Speak4Me glasses, we have provided a list of necessary steps. Since we know how challenging written instructions can be, we have also created How-To videos in which we show the steps. The steps are divided into the following parts:

Hardware Setup

2. Soldering and cutting the resistances
3. Trimming the AUX connector
4. Making the AUX connector fit
5. Soldering the AUX connector
6. Soldering the USB connector
7. Soldering the connection for the internal speaker
8. Soldering the transistor for the keep alive circuit
9. Cutting the leftovers of the transistor for the keep alive circuit
10. Placing the Arduino and EMIC
11. Soldering the Arduino and EMIC
12. Cutting the leftovers of the Arduino and EMIC
13. Soldering and cutting the leftovers of the LED

Glass setup

14. Remove the USB-cable insulation
15. Marking the connections
16. Preparing the sensors
17. Mounting the sensors

How to use the Profile Customization

18. How to customize your profiles
19. How to customize the settings
20. How to use the upload and download functionalities

Load the software on your Arduino

21. Load the pre-configured code to the Arduino

Advices on how to use the glass

22. Practical advice's to use your Speak4Me glass

To start with the assembly of the necessary hardware, prepare a solid workplace and have the following tools ready to use:

• Pliers
• Rubber band
• Wire stripper
• Voltmeter
• Nail file
• Sandpaper
• Soldering iron
• Solder wire
• A helping hand or something to fix it

You will also need the circuit board and most of the components you had to order before.

In case you never soldered something before, we highly recommend that you first familiarize yourself with the process by asking a hardware-addicted friend or starting with one of the various tutorials to be found on youtube and solder a few things to get familiar with the process. You will not need any advanced soldering skills for this project, tho, so everyone should be able to perform the soldering steps on his own in a manageable amount of time. Once you feel confident, get back to the board and start soldering.

Start by consecutively positioning the resistors, fasten them using the rubber band and then solder them to the board. Afterwards, cut off the protruding legs of the resistors.

The whole pcb assembly process has been documented in the following video (Click here to go to the first step of the video.):

Most aux connectors have small brackets on their bottom side, which shall help to keep the connector in place. We do not need them, so please just clip them off using your pliers for example.

Click here to go to the corresponding part of our video.

In order for the aux connector to fit on the pcb, file off a small piece of it. You're done when the connector rests neatly on the board and no longer tilts.

Click here to go to the corresponding part of our video.

Put the aux connector in its place, make sure its sitting tightly on the board, fasten it using the rubber band for example (in the video, we simply used remaining connectors to stabilize the pcb) and then solder it to the board.

Click here to go to the corresponding part of our video.

Next, put the usb connector in its place and fasten it by using the rubber band, again. We recommend to start by soldering the two bigger pins and then removing the rubber band. Afterwards, be very careful when soldering the remaining little pins. If you accidently connect several pins, it might be necessary to get a desoldering pump (a cheap one for a few dollars is completly sufficient). Then, desolder the affected pins. If you are unsure if two pins are connected, use a voltmeter to check. Be aware that a connection between the wrong pins can result in a short circuit and might damage the pcb, the arduino or even the pc connected to the device.

Click here to go to the corresponding part of our video.

In this step you have to solder the connection for the internal speaker.

This step is optional if you plan to use an external speaker via the AUX port only.

Click here to go to the corresponding part of our video.

In this step you have to solder the transistor for the keep alive circuit. The keep alive circuit is necessary because some powerbanks stop charging when not enough power is consumed.

Click here to go to the corresponding part of our video.

Here you have to cut the leftovers of the transistor of the keep alive circuit you have just soldered. For this purpose a simple pair of pliers is enough.

Click here to go to the corresponding part of our video.

In this step you have to place the Arduino and the EMIC on the board. Make sure to place the two parts gently and then fix them with a rubber band.

Click here to go to the corresponding part of our video.